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YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
 Posted - May 18 2008 : 06:23:01 AM
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Hi,
I had some insights today that I wanted to share with you. Actually it is nothing new but the practice of meditation and some other yoga techniques actually made it dawn on me again quite naturally.
Yogani says something that I think is very true. That with his practices we are merely giving the opportunity to our bodies to do what they want to do anyway and would do spontaneously if we would let them. It is like all this mudras, asanas, meditations, mantras, etc. are all in-built mechanisms that somehow we forgot or block. And I think the "culprit" is culture or the wall of thought.
He also says, in a similar vein, that it is not the nervous system that we atrying to adapt to the techniques, but the techniques that are mimicking what the nervous system would do naturally. And thus comes the idea of the "natural man".
I realised I understand why we see animals and plants and even stones as inherently "good" or "innocent" (at least I do!): it is because they do not possess this "filter" of culture that handicaps our natural flow. They did not developed that, for good or bad, it doesn't matter. We did, we created concepts, ideas, what's good and bad, etc. It's the way we learned to operate in the world. But we are still, underneath all that extra layer we have, just like all the plants, animals, stones, wind, sea, etc. I always sensed that and I understand it better now.
I say this now from the practical point of view. For example, after doing meditation my body usually spontaneously wants to stretch in a certain way (I usually arch my back and strech my arms in front and it feels good!). Another example seems to be the seeming spontaneuous and natural tendency that our tongue has of rolling back when we are in a "meditation mood", even if we don't call it that or are not conscious of that. Or the way people always hummed during housework or other tasks, similar to mantras, etc.
This is what I mean I guess. The whole idea of "letting go" and "surrender" is, for me, the surrender to our natural state and wisdom that resides in our bodies. It is all quite natural, every child knows that. Then we start "learning stuff". It feels so good to just be natural though! I think these AYP practices are a great way to reconecting with our natural self, our instincts, our nature.
In a more or less (maybe far away!) related note I also realised the absurdity of the quote from Descartes "I think therefore I am". I have always rebelled against that and I now know why. I see it more like "I am therefore I think". 
Greetings! |
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Proton
Canada
11 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2008 : 12:20:34 PM
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One wonders if its "culture" or the inflexible framework of "culture" which is to blame? And if its the inflexible framework that is to blame, then we have to say that such a condition didn't happen all by itself. It is in place due to the initiators and maintainers of culture, who, like the wide-eyed, fanatical propagandist, become victims of their own propaganda once they believe in it unquestioningly enough.
I don't think Yoga or any other so-called "system" of "enlightenment" is meant to be employed by us to "attain" anything. I don't think these systems "take us" anywhere ( from Point "A" mundane consciousness to Point "B" of Cosmic Consciousness ). I think such systems are truly designed merely to allow us to shed the layers of social trance which unnaturally limits and crushes out our conscious function and locks us into a very lacking, predictable, dull and monontonous perspective of who and what we are....and in so doing, crushes out our happiness and even our natural physical longevity.
There are many who practice Yoga or other systems of enlightenment with their teeth gritted and holding a view of "hard work" and "a long, uphill climb" - as if they're actually traveling somewhere and the trip includes lots of struggle and time and effort. Personally, I don't think such people ever realize the benefits of Yoga or any other system. They just sink deeper and deeper into stress and frustration as they "struggle" on.
On the other hand, if Yoga or other systems are practiced for fun and enjoyment with a light heart and calm, content frame of mind, these systems serve to shed layers of social conditioned, unnatural limitations and reveal what we've always had all along. There's nothing to "attain". There's nowhere to "go". We don't have to "work" at anything just to have what we've always had. We just let the lays of societal gunk flake off knowing full well that we are much more than we realize and then our original function ( mental and physical ) will come back into full function and efficiency.
Equally, it seems to me that all the techniques (often billed as "secret", "profound", "advanced", etc. ) in these systems are given such lables to trigger a psychological response in us which allows us to convince ourselves that we've finally got hold of something that is very powerful and effective. The BELIEF we have about these techniques and their function/capacity to impact our being is what makes them powerful and advanced. Its our own MIND and the way we focus it on what we do, not what we're doing, which holds all the power. Hopefully, through practice we eventually get the point that WE are the power and the techniques are the mechanism to focus with, not the other way around. |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2008 : 4:48:56 PM
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| Welcome YogaIsLife and Proton to the forum and thank you for sharing your perspectives. |
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Balance
USA
967 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2008 : 5:10:28 PM
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Yes, welcome
Nice to have you here. |
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Divineis
Canada
420 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2008 : 5:27:35 PM
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"Equally, it seems to me that all the techniques (often billed as "secret", "profound", "advanced", etc. ) in these systems are given such lables to trigger a psychological response in us which allows us to convince ourselves that we've finally got hold of something that is very powerful and effective."
I can't agree with this more. In fact... I've dropped all techniques for meditation, all I do is "sit, be, and watch what comes up". I don't even do spinal breathing anymore really. I mean, sometimes my focus will go to my spine or my breath or whatever while meditating, but I just let it do that, I don't force it there, sometimes it will go to thoughts... it's all the same. |
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Proton
Canada
11 Posts |
Posted - May 22 2008 : 10:56:25 AM
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Divineis, I'm not sure if its "all the same" in that our minds ( as they are conditioned from a very young age ) seem to need some sort of focus to accomplish these things. This is why I'm so impressed with Yogani's techniques. They work and work very well, yet they're not overwhelming in the sense that they contain all sorts of little details and cardinal rules which, if not adhered to, will ruin practice. Yogani offers streamlined Yoga - real Yoga minus ages-worth of window dressing, and the results certainly speak for themselves.
What I was referring to in my original post on this thread were systems or techniques (Swara Yoga, various Tantric Meditations, etc. ) which contain so many things to "do" ( including exact times for practice and exhausting routines involving all sorts of "stuff" and procedures ). In other words, with such systems its possible to spend more time on lining up all the required elements before and during practice than on the practice itself! And what can all these elements and factors really mean? I can't see that they're included in these systems for any reason except to complicate the overall process to the point where it becomes a monumental task in organization and will power just to be able to proceed with it, thereby convincing the practitioner at some very deep conscious level that he/she has a supreme "okay" to achieve results just for fulfilling all these requirements. Other than that, the window dressing doesn't seem to amount to a hill of beans. I suppose there are some personality types who require such routines just to make progress, but I'm thankful that Yogani has made his system available to the rest of us, because I'm sure its equally as powerful and yet its also super efficient and easy to understand and practice. |
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A natural man
